This is the final post from the Guangzhou branch. Yesterday we hit the leather market in the morning (four buildings full of purses, wallets, belts, etc.) and had fun bargaining on a few gifts. The quality of some of the knock-offs is amazing. Getting back proved to be the most challenging part of this adventure since we had to stand in the middle of a crazy street and fight for a cab. It seems to help to be big and have a baby strapped to you.
In the afternoon we made a short but important trip to the US Consulate. All of the babies received their official visas to travel to the US. The babies with both parents here get an IR-3 visa and they will become US citizens upon arrival in the US. Naomi gets an IR-4 Visa and won't officially be a citizen until we complete formal adoption paperwork in the US. We can do that about 6 months after getting back to California.
Last night we had our farewell party with the entire group. The China team led the way with rice wine and karaoke. They also had cute gifts for the girls (pearl necklace and jade piece for luck). It was a nice way to wrap up the trip. Today we just get packed and then head to the airport around 4pm. Our flight doesn't leave until 9pm but we need to get our seat assignments and make our way through customs. We are very happy to be headed home. Can't wait to see you all! Grant, Shelby and Naomi...
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Already making progress
Naomi is doing really well. She is already walking steadier and with more confidence. She is also getting a tiny belly b/c we are stuffing her with food every day. She is exploring more, talking more and generally having a good time. We are making progress with real food as well. Its been hit and miss but she is starting to enjoy trying new things and seems to be tolerating them well...
Red Tape
Today I spent 4.5 hours filling in the final paperwork for Naomi's US visa. Since I'm here without Steph I had at least 4 extra forms and a buch of supporting documents that had to be carefully filled out and organized. The USAA China team was very helpful and I'm proud to say I was one of the few parents that didn't require whiteout to complete everything.
We also got Naomi's Chinese Passport which is very cute. We are getting so close!
We also got Naomi's Chinese Passport which is very cute. We are getting so close!
Dr. Rosen Rosen?
Monday we visited a tiny island in the middle of the Pearl River that is home to the US Consulate and a few top hotels. We were there to visit US Consulate approved doctors that screen all immigrants applying for visas. They don't really give the girls a check up so much as they make sure they don't have the bird flu or something else terrible and contagious.
Luckily we were the only group there so we didn't have to wait too long. Our Naomi was a strapping 18.5 lbs on her 17 month birthday. So yes, she is three months older than Jake and he is almost DOUBLE her weight. She has some catching up to do! She was good however and only really fussed when the nurse pryed her little mouth open to look at her throat.
After the check up it was time for more shopping and then a very tasty Thai dinner, complete with Singha beer.
Luckily we were the only group there so we didn't have to wait too long. Our Naomi was a strapping 18.5 lbs on her 17 month birthday. So yes, she is three months older than Jake and he is almost DOUBLE her weight. She has some catching up to do! She was good however and only really fussed when the nurse pryed her little mouth open to look at her throat.
After the check up it was time for more shopping and then a very tasty Thai dinner, complete with Singha beer.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Reunion Party
Sunday night was a lot of fun. The five families returned from the various provinces they had visited to get their babies and we all got reacquainted. The room for the party was decorated with hundreds of photos of past groups and with holiday cards sent to Norman by families he has helped. It was fun to see all the babies and to see the cute kids they had grown up to be.
I didn't know this before but Norman has had a number of celebrity clients, including Meg Ryan, Kathy Bates and Dan Marino. From his past work with the US Consulate he has cool pictures of him on the USS Kitty Hawk, with Congresswoman Barbara Jordan.
My favorite part of the night was watching the stoic and serious Norman play bartender with a random short order cook hat on. He and our guide Martin led the way when it came to shots of Chinese rice wine. Martin claims his record is 26 shots and I believe him. I don't think anyone in our group will challenge that...
I didn't know this before but Norman has had a number of celebrity clients, including Meg Ryan, Kathy Bates and Dan Marino. From his past work with the US Consulate he has cool pictures of him on the USS Kitty Hawk, with Congresswoman Barbara Jordan.
My favorite part of the night was watching the stoic and serious Norman play bartender with a random short order cook hat on. He and our guide Martin led the way when it came to shots of Chinese rice wine. Martin claims his record is 26 shots and I believe him. I don't think anyone in our group will challenge that...
Monday, March 17, 2008
The Temple of the Six Banyan Trees
On Sunday morning we visited the beautiful Temple of the Six Banyan Trees so the babies could be blessed by a monk for long life and happiness. It was a lovely ceremony and Naomi and I had fun climbing to the top of the 9 story main Temple.
Here is some background info I pulled of a random travel site:
The Temple of the Six Banyan Trees is over 1,400 years old and is one of the four best knownBuddhist temples in Guangzhou. It is located on Liurong Road (meaning the Six Banyan Trees Road) and has a rich collection of antiques.
Originally built in 537, the temple has been rebuilt several times, and the name has changed several times. The great Chinese poet Su Dongpo who lived during the Song Dynasty (960 - 1279) gave the temple its current name. It is said he visited the temple while returning to the north. During the visit, he found the six banyan trees there particularly striking. The vitality of the trees put him in a good mood and cheered him up. When the abbot of the temple invited him to suggest a name, Su Dongpo wrote down its present name.
There are multiple Buddas in the various buildings of the temple. Tianwang Hall has a laughing Budda and Weituo Hall has the statue of legendary General Weituo who recaptured Buddhist relics that had been stolen.
The most impressive architecture is the Six Banyan Pagoda. This pagoda is home to the most intricate and valuable Buddhist relics. Its roofs curve upwards and look like dark red flower petals. The tip of the pagoda is like stamens leading people like to call it the Flowery Pagoda.
To the west of the Six Banyan Pagoda is Daxiong Baodian Hall - the main hall of the temple. Three large copper Buddhist statues there are among the biggest and most ancient Buddhist statues in Guangdong province. They stand for present, past and future.
Burning joss (incense) sticks is a big event when visiting the temple. Every year during the Spring Festival and Lantern Festival, the temple becomes a busy area. People line up in droves in order to be blessed by gods in the coming year.
Here is some background info I pulled of a random travel site:
The Temple of the Six Banyan Trees is over 1,400 years old and is one of the four best knownBuddhist temples in Guangzhou. It is located on Liurong Road (meaning the Six Banyan Trees Road) and has a rich collection of antiques.
Originally built in 537, the temple has been rebuilt several times, and the name has changed several times. The great Chinese poet Su Dongpo who lived during the Song Dynasty (960 - 1279) gave the temple its current name. It is said he visited the temple while returning to the north. During the visit, he found the six banyan trees there particularly striking. The vitality of the trees put him in a good mood and cheered him up. When the abbot of the temple invited him to suggest a name, Su Dongpo wrote down its present name.
There are multiple Buddas in the various buildings of the temple. Tianwang Hall has a laughing Budda and Weituo Hall has the statue of legendary General Weituo who recaptured Buddhist relics that had been stolen.
The most impressive architecture is the Six Banyan Pagoda. This pagoda is home to the most intricate and valuable Buddhist relics. Its roofs curve upwards and look like dark red flower petals. The tip of the pagoda is like stamens leading people like to call it the Flowery Pagoda.
To the west of the Six Banyan Pagoda is Daxiong Baodian Hall - the main hall of the temple. Three large copper Buddhist statues there are among the biggest and most ancient Buddhist statues in Guangdong province. They stand for present, past and future.
Burning joss (incense) sticks is a big event when visiting the temple. Every year during the Spring Festival and Lantern Festival, the temple becomes a busy area. People line up in droves in order to be blessed by gods in the coming year.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Notes from the field
Naomi has a new nickname. It's "Babyzilla". I gave it to her yesterday when, single handed, she turned our room into a combat zone. I'm thinking it would be a good name for a baby clothing line...
One of my favorite quirks about China are the many strange translations of Chinese you see. For example, at breakfast yesterday there was something labeled "chocolate cake". Only it wasn't chocolate...or cake. Or the previously mentioned "peas with ketchup" that are actually baked beans.
The English descriptions of parks and monuments tend to be particularly funny since the Chinese tend to use very flowery prose when writing about them. The translation is often like this, "The halls of Huo Zhong Jie combine the culture of an upright official, gardening arts and ancient building styles to form a special humane attraction of ingenious conception".
Another classic example is the literature from the orphanage. Their motto is "We stick to the culture belief human-oriented, homely center, sincerely love". Of course if one of us tried to write in Chinese I'm sure the result would be even funnier.
One of my favorite quirks about China are the many strange translations of Chinese you see. For example, at breakfast yesterday there was something labeled "chocolate cake". Only it wasn't chocolate...or cake. Or the previously mentioned "peas with ketchup" that are actually baked beans.
The English descriptions of parks and monuments tend to be particularly funny since the Chinese tend to use very flowery prose when writing about them. The translation is often like this, "The halls of Huo Zhong Jie combine the culture of an upright official, gardening arts and ancient building styles to form a special humane attraction of ingenious conception".
Another classic example is the literature from the orphanage. Their motto is "We stick to the culture belief human-oriented, homely center, sincerely love". Of course if one of us tried to write in Chinese I'm sure the result would be even funnier.
Baomo Garden
On Saturday we went to Baomo Gardens about 45 minutes outside of Guangzhou. This side of town seemed nicer than the road to Guandong. We were uncertain if we were up for another day in the bus but it proved to be a worthwhile trip. The gardens were originally part of imperial gardens built at the end of the Qing dynasty. However they were completely destroyed in the 1950’s.
In 1995 a multi-year project began to rebuild the gardens. The resulting replica is really quite stunning. There's a series of beautiful lakes with intricate temples, carvings, scuptures and gardens surrounding them. There's also a nice museum with traditional art and jade pieces.
The highlight of gardens are a series of koi ponds with literally thousands of fish. Anita, one of the other grandmas on the trip, bought fish food for everyone and we spent at least 20 minutes just watching the koi swarm to the food. Naomi seemed fascinated with the motion and sounds of the carp as they piled on top of one another and opened their wide, round mouths to gobble the food.
On the bus ride back we stopped to check out an authentic farmer’s market. Everything from vegetables to clothes to fishing pools was being sold. The market was packed and everywhere you looked there was a miniature van or moped honking and hauling something to or from a vendor’s stall. Then it was back to the hotel for a mellow evening filled with play time, Chinese food and BBC news
In 1995 a multi-year project began to rebuild the gardens. The resulting replica is really quite stunning. There's a series of beautiful lakes with intricate temples, carvings, scuptures and gardens surrounding them. There's also a nice museum with traditional art and jade pieces.
The highlight of gardens are a series of koi ponds with literally thousands of fish. Anita, one of the other grandmas on the trip, bought fish food for everyone and we spent at least 20 minutes just watching the koi swarm to the food. Naomi seemed fascinated with the motion and sounds of the carp as they piled on top of one another and opened their wide, round mouths to gobble the food.
On the bus ride back we stopped to check out an authentic farmer’s market. Everything from vegetables to clothes to fishing pools was being sold. The market was packed and everywhere you looked there was a miniature van or moped honking and hauling something to or from a vendor’s stall. Then it was back to the hotel for a mellow evening filled with play time, Chinese food and BBC news
The Glamorous Life
OK, its boring to complain so I’ll do it all in one post. That way people who don’t mind complaining can commiserate with the craziness we face daily. Others can skip this and jump to the next post.
So, some of the things that drive us crazy here (besides the previously well documented pollution that hangs over the city like a post apocalyptic cloud) are:
So, some of the things that drive us crazy here (besides the previously well documented pollution that hangs over the city like a post apocalyptic cloud) are:
- The monk or Muslim that wakes up at 6am every morning directly below us and chants at the top of his voice for 15 minutes
- A bathroom fan that sounds like a Cessna engine from the 1960’s that’s missing some key parts
- Construction in the room above ours from 8am to 7pm everyday, including weekends. Whatever they are doing involves a great deal of hammering.
- For some reason they don’t make up our room until about 3pm everyday. We have asked for the maids to come earlier but they still insist on coming in the middle of nap time. Of course they are always very nice.
- A less than kid-friendly room. We had to use duct tape on all of the drawers and outlets so little fingers don’t get squished or zapped
- We have eaten Chinese food 24/7 since arriving. I LOVE Chinese food but I will be very ready for some In-N-Out upon our return!
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Homerun
I finally figured out how to listen to my voicemail here and got a great message from Ethan about his first baseball game of the season. He hit a homerun and got two outs at first base! Congratulations Ethan, that is a great way to start the season!
Love, Daddy
Love, Daddy
Dongguan Children's Welfare Institute
Friday was a big, emotional, interesting, tiring day. We took a 90 minute bus ride to a nearby city called Dongguan where Naomi's orphanage is. I was a little nervous to go b/c I wasn't sure how she would react to seeing her caretakers again but ultimately I thought it was more important to know where she had been these first 16 months of her life.
I thought along the way we would escape the gray blanket of pollution that envelopes Guangzhou but I was wrong. Dongguan is a factory town and the pollution was as bad if not worse. Just so its clear how bad things are here, let me emphasize that we have not seen the sun since we arrived. Not once. And you can taste the air. It's not good.
Anyway, young kids move from the farms in the countryside to areas like Dongguan b/c jobs are more plentiful and wages are relatively good. There isn't a lot to do and there is little supervision so young girls end up pregnant. The ones who don't have an abortion hide their pregnancy, deliver the baby and then abandon it in a public place. The prospects for an unwed young mother are not positive in the least. There is really no other option. This is likely how Naomi came to be left on a stone bench in the main park of Dongguan's "old town" district.
Upon arrival at the orphanage we were all pleasantly surprised to find a nice, clean building with a private gate. We were greeted by the assistant director who took us to a waiting room to meet with the caretakers and hear some information about the orphanage. Inside everything was spotless but very institutional. We noticed there was a small library, several therapy rooms and even a small dance studio.
It was actually very nice to see the caretakers again. All of the kids reacted positively but they also seemed eager to be back with their new parents when the meet and greet was over. Naomi received more than her fair share of attention from the group. Her caretaker was obviously happy to see her and had missed her I think. Every one of the caretakers took time to hold her and give her a hug. It was very nice to see that she had probably been well treated.
The Dongguan CWI is one of the bigger orphanages in the province. At any point in time there are 200-300 kids there. Ninety percent of those kids are special needs. We saw this with our own eyes when we were allowed into the infant area. This is where the reality of these kids lives hit will full force. There was an albino-like child with red hair and skin problems, several kids with horribly severe cleft pallets and many others with obvious physical and/or mental issues. You wanted to scoop them up and take them all. This was the only area we weren't allowed to take pictures of.
A poignant moment for me was when we were shown Naomi's crib. We knew from talking to the caretaker that as much as 80% of her day, including meals, had been spent in that crib. It was a cheap metal crib packed into a room with 20 other babies. It was very easy to picture her just wasting away in that room for hours upon hours. Its not something I'll ever forget.
Then, the tour was over and we were off to lunch. We had lunch in Dongguan with some of the orphanage staff. The food was typical of the region and very good. I especially liked the garlic scallops that had piles of noodles on them. Tasty.... After a long bus ride back to the hotel we grabbed dinner and all three of us crashed early. We all needed to recharge.
I thought along the way we would escape the gray blanket of pollution that envelopes Guangzhou but I was wrong. Dongguan is a factory town and the pollution was as bad if not worse. Just so its clear how bad things are here, let me emphasize that we have not seen the sun since we arrived. Not once. And you can taste the air. It's not good.
Anyway, young kids move from the farms in the countryside to areas like Dongguan b/c jobs are more plentiful and wages are relatively good. There isn't a lot to do and there is little supervision so young girls end up pregnant. The ones who don't have an abortion hide their pregnancy, deliver the baby and then abandon it in a public place. The prospects for an unwed young mother are not positive in the least. There is really no other option. This is likely how Naomi came to be left on a stone bench in the main park of Dongguan's "old town" district.
Upon arrival at the orphanage we were all pleasantly surprised to find a nice, clean building with a private gate. We were greeted by the assistant director who took us to a waiting room to meet with the caretakers and hear some information about the orphanage. Inside everything was spotless but very institutional. We noticed there was a small library, several therapy rooms and even a small dance studio.
It was actually very nice to see the caretakers again. All of the kids reacted positively but they also seemed eager to be back with their new parents when the meet and greet was over. Naomi received more than her fair share of attention from the group. Her caretaker was obviously happy to see her and had missed her I think. Every one of the caretakers took time to hold her and give her a hug. It was very nice to see that she had probably been well treated.
The Dongguan CWI is one of the bigger orphanages in the province. At any point in time there are 200-300 kids there. Ninety percent of those kids are special needs. We saw this with our own eyes when we were allowed into the infant area. This is where the reality of these kids lives hit will full force. There was an albino-like child with red hair and skin problems, several kids with horribly severe cleft pallets and many others with obvious physical and/or mental issues. You wanted to scoop them up and take them all. This was the only area we weren't allowed to take pictures of.
A poignant moment for me was when we were shown Naomi's crib. We knew from talking to the caretaker that as much as 80% of her day, including meals, had been spent in that crib. It was a cheap metal crib packed into a room with 20 other babies. It was very easy to picture her just wasting away in that room for hours upon hours. Its not something I'll ever forget.
Then, the tour was over and we were off to lunch. We had lunch in Dongguan with some of the orphanage staff. The food was typical of the region and very good. I especially liked the garlic scallops that had piles of noodles on them. Tasty.... After a long bus ride back to the hotel we grabbed dinner and all three of us crashed early. We all needed to recharge.
Sightseeing & Big Trouble with Little Watches
Ok, I temporarily lost my blogging mojo but I'll try to catch you all up on our Guangzhou adventures. Thursday was an interesting, albeit, slightly slow day. We visited two of Guangzhou's more famous tourist attractions, Dr. Sun Yat Sen's Memorial Hall and Guangzhou's version of Central Park called Yuexiu Park.
The Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall is situated on the original site of Sun Yat Sen's Presidential Office. It was built with funds raised by the local people and overseas Chinese to commemorate Dr. Sun Yat Sen, the founder of the National Party and the first president of the Republic of China. The memorial hall has magnificent exterior and elegant interior decorations. The whole building--octagonal in shape--is of a typical Chinese architectural style. There is also a 15-foot-high bronze statue of Dr. Sun in front of the hall. It must be a magnificent place to see a concert as the unique octagon shape allows the massive roof to be supported without any internal columns. Everyone has an unobstructed view, even in the cheap seats.
Yuexiu Park covers over 100 hectares and is located in central Guangzhou. Well known attractions include Guangzhou’s symbolic Statue of the Five Goats and the Guangzhou Museum. The myth of the five goats is that five gods rode them to town, bringing gifts of grain for the people of Guangzhou. When the gods left they turned the goats to stone to forever remind the people of their good fortune. The park is also home to several beautiful lakes and landscaped gardens.
We got to mix with the locals in Yuexiu Park and had great fun doing so. I played a Chinese version of hacky sack involving an over-sized badminton birdie while holding Naomi in the Baby Bjorn. That got a lot of smiles and proved to be a bit more difficult than planned. Of course, my flailing about with a beautiful Chinese baby strapped to me was generally approved of by our fellow players.
We also shared an orange with four Chinese women while sitting by a waterfall and watched female supporters of the Chinese army march, sing and dance. I think they watched us almost as much as we watched them. The park is gigantic and after 90 minutes we had only seen one small corner but it was time to go back to the hotel.
The rest of the day was relatively uneventful except for a shopping excursion to Watch and Clock city, a wholesale market for watches, clocks and electronics. The watch expert of our group, Bruce, had found out from his watch broker friend that Guangzhou is a good place to buy high quality fake watches (Rolex, TAG, Cartier, etc). The good fakes use real Swiss movements and sapphire crystals - amazing.
After a short cab ride with Phillip, a translator from the China team, we were deep in downtown, right next to the crowded a slightly dangerous bus station. Bruce and I stuck out like NBA players at a jockey convention. Bruce is 6'3" and has bright red hair. People were really checking us out and a few seemed more interested than they should. I think our size was the only thing that made people keep their distance.
Watch City is straight out of a John Woo movie. I kept expecting Chow Yun Fat to jump out with gun drawn while chasing some unsavory characters. If Phillip hadn't been with us no one would have talked to us, especially not the guys selling high-quality fakes. They all thought we were undercover foreign police! Everywhere you looked there were people wheeling and dealing. Everything from $2 Hello Kitty watches to full size grandfather clocks were being hustled.
Eventually we got a guy that looked like a bad guy henchman of a "B" kung fu film to tell us about his watches. The short version of the story is that, after some bargaining and looking at watches in a catalog, he agreed to meet us the next day with watches and with equipment that would allow him to open them and prove they had Swiss movements. We then jumped in a cab and went back to the hotel. More on this later....
The Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall is situated on the original site of Sun Yat Sen's Presidential Office. It was built with funds raised by the local people and overseas Chinese to commemorate Dr. Sun Yat Sen, the founder of the National Party and the first president of the Republic of China. The memorial hall has magnificent exterior and elegant interior decorations. The whole building--octagonal in shape--is of a typical Chinese architectural style. There is also a 15-foot-high bronze statue of Dr. Sun in front of the hall. It must be a magnificent place to see a concert as the unique octagon shape allows the massive roof to be supported without any internal columns. Everyone has an unobstructed view, even in the cheap seats.
Yuexiu Park covers over 100 hectares and is located in central Guangzhou. Well known attractions include Guangzhou’s symbolic Statue of the Five Goats and the Guangzhou Museum. The myth of the five goats is that five gods rode them to town, bringing gifts of grain for the people of Guangzhou. When the gods left they turned the goats to stone to forever remind the people of their good fortune. The park is also home to several beautiful lakes and landscaped gardens.
We got to mix with the locals in Yuexiu Park and had great fun doing so. I played a Chinese version of hacky sack involving an over-sized badminton birdie while holding Naomi in the Baby Bjorn. That got a lot of smiles and proved to be a bit more difficult than planned. Of course, my flailing about with a beautiful Chinese baby strapped to me was generally approved of by our fellow players.
We also shared an orange with four Chinese women while sitting by a waterfall and watched female supporters of the Chinese army march, sing and dance. I think they watched us almost as much as we watched them. The park is gigantic and after 90 minutes we had only seen one small corner but it was time to go back to the hotel.
The rest of the day was relatively uneventful except for a shopping excursion to Watch and Clock city, a wholesale market for watches, clocks and electronics. The watch expert of our group, Bruce, had found out from his watch broker friend that Guangzhou is a good place to buy high quality fake watches (Rolex, TAG, Cartier, etc). The good fakes use real Swiss movements and sapphire crystals - amazing.
After a short cab ride with Phillip, a translator from the China team, we were deep in downtown, right next to the crowded a slightly dangerous bus station. Bruce and I stuck out like NBA players at a jockey convention. Bruce is 6'3" and has bright red hair. People were really checking us out and a few seemed more interested than they should. I think our size was the only thing that made people keep their distance.
Watch City is straight out of a John Woo movie. I kept expecting Chow Yun Fat to jump out with gun drawn while chasing some unsavory characters. If Phillip hadn't been with us no one would have talked to us, especially not the guys selling high-quality fakes. They all thought we were undercover foreign police! Everywhere you looked there were people wheeling and dealing. Everything from $2 Hello Kitty watches to full size grandfather clocks were being hustled.
Eventually we got a guy that looked like a bad guy henchman of a "B" kung fu film to tell us about his watches. The short version of the story is that, after some bargaining and looking at watches in a catalog, he agreed to meet us the next day with watches and with equipment that would allow him to open them and prove they had Swiss movements. We then jumped in a cab and went back to the hotel. More on this later....
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Passport Day
Yesterday was another long but interesting day. In the morning we went shopping at "Beijing Road". A famous street that has been blocked off to traffic and has hundreds of stores of every size. There are big modern department store with set prices and little back alley shops selling the ubiquitous $10 fake Rolex. We bought a few things, including very cute red sandals for Naomi, but we didn't go crazy.
One thing I found interesting was a historical monument in the middle of the street where the old city road had been preserved under a glass observation roof. The road had been excavated to expose it layer by layer, revealing stones that ultimately dated back to China's earliest dynasties.
We then headed back to the room for some lunch and a short nap. After that, we packed up again and went to the Chinese agency responsible for issuing passports. We doubled checked the adoption docs from the day before and they asked me for my passport as official guardian. It was a simple process and we should get Naomi's passport in about 5 days. Then it was back on the bus and back to the hotel for an afternoon of playing in the room. We thought Naomi would sleep but no such luck. She spent 3 hours throwing things, laughing and exploring the room.
Our dinner outing proved to be fun. It turns out there is a Brazilian BBQ churrascaria just 6 blocks for the hotel. It was reasonably authentic and there was a live band made up of three Paulistas (people from Sao Paulo). I spoke to them in my very rusty Portuguese and they were super happy to talk to someone that knew Brazil. They were all there on a 2 year contract with an American firm that recruits international musicians. They get to learn Chinese and see the world and the company gets cheap talent.
The band, Sara, Marcio and Duda told us there first 4 months in China had been rough. Making real friends seemed very difficult and the guys complained that Chinese girls liked to talk to them but not actually go out on dates. They were very interested in our adoption story and loved holding Naomi. Naomi seemed ok with the attention and liked it when we danced around the music.
Tired and full we stumbled back to the room and got ready for bed. Naomi was wound up for dinner and put up her first real protest when we tried to put her to sleep at 9pm. I had to take her out of her crib, play with her for about 30 min and then let her fall asleep next to me on the bed. That worked and I was able to move her back to the crib for the night.
Today we are going sightseeing in the morning and will take the bus to a big park and a memorial to Sun Yat Sen who was from Guangzhou. Tomorrow we will go visit Naomi's orphanage. I have mixed feelings about it but know it will be important to see where she has been these first 16 months of her life. More soon...
One thing I found interesting was a historical monument in the middle of the street where the old city road had been preserved under a glass observation roof. The road had been excavated to expose it layer by layer, revealing stones that ultimately dated back to China's earliest dynasties.
We then headed back to the room for some lunch and a short nap. After that, we packed up again and went to the Chinese agency responsible for issuing passports. We doubled checked the adoption docs from the day before and they asked me for my passport as official guardian. It was a simple process and we should get Naomi's passport in about 5 days. Then it was back on the bus and back to the hotel for an afternoon of playing in the room. We thought Naomi would sleep but no such luck. She spent 3 hours throwing things, laughing and exploring the room.
Our dinner outing proved to be fun. It turns out there is a Brazilian BBQ churrascaria just 6 blocks for the hotel. It was reasonably authentic and there was a live band made up of three Paulistas (people from Sao Paulo). I spoke to them in my very rusty Portuguese and they were super happy to talk to someone that knew Brazil. They were all there on a 2 year contract with an American firm that recruits international musicians. They get to learn Chinese and see the world and the company gets cheap talent.
The band, Sara, Marcio and Duda told us there first 4 months in China had been rough. Making real friends seemed very difficult and the guys complained that Chinese girls liked to talk to them but not actually go out on dates. They were very interested in our adoption story and loved holding Naomi. Naomi seemed ok with the attention and liked it when we danced around the music.
Tired and full we stumbled back to the room and got ready for bed. Naomi was wound up for dinner and put up her first real protest when we tried to put her to sleep at 9pm. I had to take her out of her crib, play with her for about 30 min and then let her fall asleep next to me on the bed. That worked and I was able to move her back to the crib for the night.
Today we are going sightseeing in the morning and will take the bus to a big park and a memorial to Sun Yat Sen who was from Guangzhou. Tomorrow we will go visit Naomi's orphanage. I have mixed feelings about it but know it will be important to see where she has been these first 16 months of her life. More soon...
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
She's Ours!
7:20 AM - March 12th.
Yesterday I signed the official Chinese paperwork that appoints me as Naomi's legal guardian until we can officially re-adopt her. I was asked a few questions by a notary and an adoption official to prove that Stephanie supported the adoption and that we are really married and then I signed and that was that. Today we will go shopping in the morning at a huge shopping area called "Beijing Road". The we are off to more Chinese government offices to apply for her passport.
We learned that on Friday we will get to tour Naomi's orphanage in Guandong. It's one of the biggest and closest so we will also tour the city a bit. I'm a little nervous about taking her back so soon but I really want to see where she has been these past 16 months. Speaking of 16 months the group is beginning to theorize that many of the kids might be artificially aged to get them out of the system faster. 4 of the 6 kids from Naomi's orphanage were listed as "pre-mature" and they seem very small for their stated age. We will never know the truth but it seems possible she is actually a few months younger than stated.
So far Naomi is a dream. She only cries a little when her bottle is done and she wants more. Otherwise she is happy and curious most of the time. I'm sure we will hit rough patches later but we are enjoying her flexible good nature now. She is also sleeping like crazy. She took a 4 hour nap yesterday and is still sleeping this morning. I imagine its a huge luxury to have her own crib with comfy blankets and a quiet room. Also, her caretaker told us she would go to sleep at 10pm and wake up at 6 am every day. She has probably been sleep deprived her entire life so far -- lots of catching up to do!
We had a fun dinner at a Macau inspired restaurant last night. The food was an interesting combo of Chinese and Portuguese. Naomi ate some rice, chicken and eggplant and is slowly getting more interested in real food. At the orphanage she only received formula 3 times a day and rice cereal once. We are already giving her formula 4 times a day and she devours it every time. Well, I'm off to prepare her bottle and bath. Another big day ahead!
Yesterday I signed the official Chinese paperwork that appoints me as Naomi's legal guardian until we can officially re-adopt her. I was asked a few questions by a notary and an adoption official to prove that Stephanie supported the adoption and that we are really married and then I signed and that was that. Today we will go shopping in the morning at a huge shopping area called "Beijing Road". The we are off to more Chinese government offices to apply for her passport.
We learned that on Friday we will get to tour Naomi's orphanage in Guandong. It's one of the biggest and closest so we will also tour the city a bit. I'm a little nervous about taking her back so soon but I really want to see where she has been these past 16 months. Speaking of 16 months the group is beginning to theorize that many of the kids might be artificially aged to get them out of the system faster. 4 of the 6 kids from Naomi's orphanage were listed as "pre-mature" and they seem very small for their stated age. We will never know the truth but it seems possible she is actually a few months younger than stated.
So far Naomi is a dream. She only cries a little when her bottle is done and she wants more. Otherwise she is happy and curious most of the time. I'm sure we will hit rough patches later but we are enjoying her flexible good nature now. She is also sleeping like crazy. She took a 4 hour nap yesterday and is still sleeping this morning. I imagine its a huge luxury to have her own crib with comfy blankets and a quiet room. Also, her caretaker told us she would go to sleep at 10pm and wake up at 6 am every day. She has probably been sleep deprived her entire life so far -- lots of catching up to do!
We had a fun dinner at a Macau inspired restaurant last night. The food was an interesting combo of Chinese and Portuguese. Naomi ate some rice, chicken and eggplant and is slowly getting more interested in real food. At the orphanage she only received formula 3 times a day and rice cereal once. We are already giving her formula 4 times a day and she devours it every time. Well, I'm off to prepare her bottle and bath. Another big day ahead!
Monday, March 10, 2008
"Gotcha Day"
First, one thing I forgot to mention about the hotel. There was a lovely crib set up in the room with soft blankets and a cute stuffed panda bear. In the crib there was the following thoughtful and funny note from the hotel staff (transcribed word for word)...
"Warm Reminder. Dear client, Thanks for your attention! Its is hard work accompanying with happiness to look after kids. If you need any help, please call our assistant manager. We are very pleasure to offer our help. Congratulations to a lovely angle joining your family!"
Naomi is indeed a lovely "angle"... :)
Gotcha day truly is a special day. We woke up early on Monday after getting a pretty good night's sleep. I tried to work out but it turns out the fitness center doesn't open until 8 o'clock. I arrived at a completely dark entrance at 6:30 am with an older gentleman sleeping outside on a couch. I snuck quietly back to the room.
We decided to organize Naomi's clothes and diaper bag. Thanks to Steph we are well equipped. Then we grabbed breakfast at the hotel's "Western Buffet". These are my favorite buffet items: cream puffs, "beans with ketchup" - baked beans, chocolate mousse, cookies, canned pineapple, hard boiled eggs called "soft boiled eggs" and fried rice. Yes, western style.
Oh, another side note. Our first dinner was in the Chinese restaurant in the hotel. We had the luck to witness a wedding banquet that had taken over half the restaurant. The food looked delicious and at our last count the bride and groom had done 17 separate toasts with various tables of relatives.
Back to "Gotcha Day"... After breakfast we went shopping at a neighboring upscale mall called the Friendship Store. Most of the stores are fashionable brands like Prada, Burberry and Hermes. There is also a very nice grocery store with everything we need for Naomi and departments with toys, electronics, etc. We got some snacks for our room, including peanut butter of course, and some great Fisher Price toys.
Then back to the hotel so Mimi could nap. I decided to explore a bit and found an English bookstore with a few great kids books. I bought one lift the flap book in both English and Mandarin an a picture book about "The Littlest Emperor". The picture book is a cute story about how a benevolent but bored Emperor searches his kingdom for "fun" and finally finds it playing in the mud with kids from the smallest village in the kingdom.
Now it was finally time to gather up our stuff and head to the Guangzhou Civil Affairs office. This office is responsible for adoptions, marriage of foreigners to Chinese citizens and a few other things. It runs a national lottery to help fund the orphanage system.
Everyone was nervous on the bus, especially the first time parents. Frankly, a few of the couples looked like they might bolt if given the chance. The weight of this lovely but permanent choice hit everyone hard. Then we walked into the government office and were immediately hit with a cacophony of parents talking in hushed voices, kids laughing, kids screaming and guides explaining what to do next. There was another group there that had just received their children and you could see the mixture of elation tinged with a little bit of fear on their faces. Now what?
We milled around and waited for Norman to get us organized. Every took some quick pictures next to the office sign. Then, suddenly, it was our turn and they began bringing out the children to their parents one-by-one. I don't remember who was first but we all cheered wildly when she was brought out and handed to her family, in the process upsetting many of the kids from the previous group.
Naomi came out third and everything seemed to slow down. We asked a member of the China team to film us and knelt down to greet her. She wobbled out with assistance with the same, tough little look from her pictures. She didn't make a peep as I scooped her up, posed for a few pictures and then took her to a nearby bench. "This is my daughter" I thought. How remarkable and wonderful! She sat with me as if we had been friends forever, clinging tightly to the scoop of a bulldozer that had been given to her by her caretaker.
Then, before 10 minutes together, I tickled here a little and she laughed. I knew right then that not only was the wait for her more than worth it, I knew that she would be an amazing part of our family for the rest of our lives. She is beautiful. I know everyone thinks this about their children but we are constantly being stopped by everyone that meets her and being told - "she's so gorgeous, you hit the jackpot". Kind of a funny thing to say but I can't help feeling its true.
Her skin is a rich brown and flawless. She doesn't have one scratch, bit or bruise on her. Her hair is growing in and its a deep, raven colored black. Her eyes are dark too and seem to contain knowledge beyond her 16.5 months. Although generally healthy and alert, she seems under nourished and has deep chest congestion that rattles her every breath. I imagine the pollution doesn't help and I will feel much better when we get her home and a US doctor gives her a complete physical.
We were able to talk to her caretaker for about 15 minutes and got some great info about her schedule, favorite toys, etc. All of the caretakers from her orphanage seemed very nice and they all hugged Naomi several times before leaving. They were genuinely very grateful for the red envelopes we gave them with 100 yuan each (about $14).
By the time we got back on bus you could see that several of the new parents had calmed down considerably and, although there was still some fear in their eyes, they were already overwhelmed by the love they felt for this baby that had been a stranger just a few hours earlier.
Naomi did not cry once the entire first day. She seems amazingly even keeled, her only protests being each time she finished her bottle and seemed to want more. We are going to up the number of her feedings because she devours an 8 ounce bottle in about 4 minutes.
Once back in the hotel the rest of the evening was a mix of playing with her new toys on the floor, practicing walking and eating dinner at one of the nicer hotel restaurants in a private room. She enjoyed trying some egg flower soup at dinner and I discovered zerbots on her neck earn a big smile. Needless to say she got lots of zerbots...
I don't want to jinx us b/c I'm sure we will have some rough times but she went to sleep without a peep at 10 pm after her last bottle. As of this posting she has slept for 8 hours. She woke up briefly, played a little quietly and went back to sleep. Remarkable.
More soon about day 2 - I think she's waking up.....
"Warm Reminder. Dear client, Thanks for your attention! Its is hard work accompanying with happiness to look after kids. If you need any help, please call our assistant manager. We are very pleasure to offer our help. Congratulations to a lovely angle joining your family!"
Naomi is indeed a lovely "angle"... :)
Gotcha day truly is a special day. We woke up early on Monday after getting a pretty good night's sleep. I tried to work out but it turns out the fitness center doesn't open until 8 o'clock. I arrived at a completely dark entrance at 6:30 am with an older gentleman sleeping outside on a couch. I snuck quietly back to the room.
We decided to organize Naomi's clothes and diaper bag. Thanks to Steph we are well equipped. Then we grabbed breakfast at the hotel's "Western Buffet". These are my favorite buffet items: cream puffs, "beans with ketchup" - baked beans, chocolate mousse, cookies, canned pineapple, hard boiled eggs called "soft boiled eggs" and fried rice. Yes, western style.
Oh, another side note. Our first dinner was in the Chinese restaurant in the hotel. We had the luck to witness a wedding banquet that had taken over half the restaurant. The food looked delicious and at our last count the bride and groom had done 17 separate toasts with various tables of relatives.
Back to "Gotcha Day"... After breakfast we went shopping at a neighboring upscale mall called the Friendship Store. Most of the stores are fashionable brands like Prada, Burberry and Hermes. There is also a very nice grocery store with everything we need for Naomi and departments with toys, electronics, etc. We got some snacks for our room, including peanut butter of course, and some great Fisher Price toys.
Then back to the hotel so Mimi could nap. I decided to explore a bit and found an English bookstore with a few great kids books. I bought one lift the flap book in both English and Mandarin an a picture book about "The Littlest Emperor". The picture book is a cute story about how a benevolent but bored Emperor searches his kingdom for "fun" and finally finds it playing in the mud with kids from the smallest village in the kingdom.
Now it was finally time to gather up our stuff and head to the Guangzhou Civil Affairs office. This office is responsible for adoptions, marriage of foreigners to Chinese citizens and a few other things. It runs a national lottery to help fund the orphanage system.
Everyone was nervous on the bus, especially the first time parents. Frankly, a few of the couples looked like they might bolt if given the chance. The weight of this lovely but permanent choice hit everyone hard. Then we walked into the government office and were immediately hit with a cacophony of parents talking in hushed voices, kids laughing, kids screaming and guides explaining what to do next. There was another group there that had just received their children and you could see the mixture of elation tinged with a little bit of fear on their faces. Now what?
We milled around and waited for Norman to get us organized. Every took some quick pictures next to the office sign. Then, suddenly, it was our turn and they began bringing out the children to their parents one-by-one. I don't remember who was first but we all cheered wildly when she was brought out and handed to her family, in the process upsetting many of the kids from the previous group.
Naomi came out third and everything seemed to slow down. We asked a member of the China team to film us and knelt down to greet her. She wobbled out with assistance with the same, tough little look from her pictures. She didn't make a peep as I scooped her up, posed for a few pictures and then took her to a nearby bench. "This is my daughter" I thought. How remarkable and wonderful! She sat with me as if we had been friends forever, clinging tightly to the scoop of a bulldozer that had been given to her by her caretaker.
Then, before 10 minutes together, I tickled here a little and she laughed. I knew right then that not only was the wait for her more than worth it, I knew that she would be an amazing part of our family for the rest of our lives. She is beautiful. I know everyone thinks this about their children but we are constantly being stopped by everyone that meets her and being told - "she's so gorgeous, you hit the jackpot". Kind of a funny thing to say but I can't help feeling its true.
Her skin is a rich brown and flawless. She doesn't have one scratch, bit or bruise on her. Her hair is growing in and its a deep, raven colored black. Her eyes are dark too and seem to contain knowledge beyond her 16.5 months. Although generally healthy and alert, she seems under nourished and has deep chest congestion that rattles her every breath. I imagine the pollution doesn't help and I will feel much better when we get her home and a US doctor gives her a complete physical.
We were able to talk to her caretaker for about 15 minutes and got some great info about her schedule, favorite toys, etc. All of the caretakers from her orphanage seemed very nice and they all hugged Naomi several times before leaving. They were genuinely very grateful for the red envelopes we gave them with 100 yuan each (about $14).
By the time we got back on bus you could see that several of the new parents had calmed down considerably and, although there was still some fear in their eyes, they were already overwhelmed by the love they felt for this baby that had been a stranger just a few hours earlier.
Naomi did not cry once the entire first day. She seems amazingly even keeled, her only protests being each time she finished her bottle and seemed to want more. We are going to up the number of her feedings because she devours an 8 ounce bottle in about 4 minutes.
Once back in the hotel the rest of the evening was a mix of playing with her new toys on the floor, practicing walking and eating dinner at one of the nicer hotel restaurants in a private room. She enjoyed trying some egg flower soup at dinner and I discovered zerbots on her neck earn a big smile. Needless to say she got lots of zerbots...
I don't want to jinx us b/c I'm sure we will have some rough times but she went to sleep without a peep at 10 pm after her last bottle. As of this posting she has slept for 8 hours. She woke up briefly, played a little quietly and went back to sleep. Remarkable.
More soon about day 2 - I think she's waking up.....
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Guangzhou
We have already learned a great deal about the city the West used to know as "Canton". It now has over 10 Million people and is one of China's most prosperous cities. There is a youthful energy to the city despite its industiral facade. Many young college grads come from nearby provinces to find work.
Everything about Guangzhou is BIG. The new airport will be the biggest in China when completed next year. The biggest TV tower in Asia is currently under construction. The city sprawls for miles and has surprisingly wide and well laid out streets. Everywhere you look, huge buildings are in various stages of construction.
Here is some other info from the web:
Overview: Always a center of trade to foreigners, Guangzhou was established during the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC). By the 200 AD, Indians and Romans were coming to Guangzhou and in the next five-hundred years, trade grew with many neighbors far and near from the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
Europe Comes Knocking: The Portuguese were the first Europeans to arrive buying Guangdong’s silk and porcelain and in 1557 Macau was established as their base of operations in the area. After several attempts, the British also gained a foothold into Guangzhou and in 1685, China’s Imperial Qinggovernment gave in to the pesky foreigners seeking its wares and opened Guangzhou to the West. But trade was restricted to Guangzhou and the foreigners restricted to Shamian Island.
Enter Opium: Annoyed by the trade imbalance, the British gained the upper hand over the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) by dumping opium on Guangzhou. The Chinese generated quite a habit for the stuff and by the nineteenth century, trade was heavily weighted against the Chinese. The British were feeding the Chinese addiction with cheap Indian opium and ferrying away silk, porcelain and tea.
First Opium War and the Treaty of Nanking: A very large thorn in the Qing’s paw, the imperial commissioner was ordered to eradicate the opium trade and in 1839, Chinese forces seized and destroyed 20,000 chests of the drug. The British didn’t take this very well and soon the First Opium War was fought and won by Western forces. The 1842 Treaty of Nanking ceded Hong Kong Island to the British. It was during these tumultuous times that thousands of Cantonese left home to seek their fortunes in the US, Canada, Southeast Asia, Australia and even South Africa.
Dr. Sun: In the twentieth century, Guangzhou was the seat of the Chinese Nationalist Party founded by Dr. Sun Yatsen. Dr. Sun, the first president of the Republic of China after the fall of the Qing Dynasty, was from a small village outside Guangzhou.
Guangzhou Today: Guangzhou today is struggling to overcome its image as Hong Kong’s little sister. An economic powerhouse in southern China, Guangzhou enjoys relative wealth compared with many other parts of China and is a bustling and vibrant city.
Everything about Guangzhou is BIG. The new airport will be the biggest in China when completed next year. The biggest TV tower in Asia is currently under construction. The city sprawls for miles and has surprisingly wide and well laid out streets. Everywhere you look, huge buildings are in various stages of construction.
Here is some other info from the web:
Overview: Always a center of trade to foreigners, Guangzhou was established during the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC). By the 200 AD, Indians and Romans were coming to Guangzhou and in the next five-hundred years, trade grew with many neighbors far and near from the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
Europe Comes Knocking: The Portuguese were the first Europeans to arrive buying Guangdong’s silk and porcelain and in 1557 Macau was established as their base of operations in the area. After several attempts, the British also gained a foothold into Guangzhou and in 1685, China’s Imperial Qinggovernment gave in to the pesky foreigners seeking its wares and opened Guangzhou to the West. But trade was restricted to Guangzhou and the foreigners restricted to Shamian Island.
Enter Opium: Annoyed by the trade imbalance, the British gained the upper hand over the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) by dumping opium on Guangzhou. The Chinese generated quite a habit for the stuff and by the nineteenth century, trade was heavily weighted against the Chinese. The British were feeding the Chinese addiction with cheap Indian opium and ferrying away silk, porcelain and tea.
First Opium War and the Treaty of Nanking: A very large thorn in the Qing’s paw, the imperial commissioner was ordered to eradicate the opium trade and in 1839, Chinese forces seized and destroyed 20,000 chests of the drug. The British didn’t take this very well and soon the First Opium War was fought and won by Western forces. The 1842 Treaty of Nanking ceded Hong Kong Island to the British. It was during these tumultuous times that thousands of Cantonese left home to seek their fortunes in the US, Canada, Southeast Asia, Australia and even South Africa.
Dr. Sun: In the twentieth century, Guangzhou was the seat of the Chinese Nationalist Party founded by Dr. Sun Yatsen. Dr. Sun, the first president of the Republic of China after the fall of the Qing Dynasty, was from a small village outside Guangzhou.
Guangzhou Today: Guangzhou today is struggling to overcome its image as Hong Kong’s little sister. An economic powerhouse in southern China, Guangzhou enjoys relative wealth compared with many other parts of China and is a bustling and vibrant city.
Day 1 - The Longest Day
Mom and I left LAX at midnight on Friday and arrived in Guangzhou at 6:20 AM on Sunday. Thank goodness we bought business class seats. Not because business class was so fantastic, but because steerage was brutal. People were packed into tiny seats like rush hour commuters on a Tokyo commuter train. At least we had some room to stretch and decent food.
I'd like to say the flight was great but that would be a lie. 16 hours on a plane is a long, long time. We both felt like we had been hit by trucks about 10 hours in. More specifically, I felt like someone had rammed a puffer fish up my nose and then scared him into full puff mode. Thankfully, as soon as we landed our heads began to feel a bit more normal.
We saw a beautiful sunrise as we landed that seemed a harbinger of both better things to come and incredibly dense pollution. A haze hangs over the city so thick and persistent you begin to wonder if everything around you could breakfree of the earth and float gently across the Pacific.
Our bags arrived safely and we breezed through customs. The US Asian Affairs (USAA) China team was waiting for us with a bus. We began to believe everything we had heard about how great the China team is as they efficiently rounded us up and guided us aboard. On the bus Norman (the head of USAA) regaled us with info about the week ahead and about past groups. He also told us that only 7 families from 117 made this trip b/c many were missing key paperwork. The rest wont get to go until May. Thank goodness Steph is organized...
The Baiyun hotel has been a nice surprise. Our room is small but nice and we are all together on the newly remodeled 19th floor. After showering and changing we all met at 10:30 for Dim Sum. The resataurant was great but quite honestly the best places in LA are as good if not better!
The rest of the day was spent shopping while half asleep and snacking. We are supposed to try and stay awake until 9 or 10 to adjust to our new schedules. The BIG news of the day is that we will get Naomi TOMORROW!!!!
We can't believe it and still don't feel totally prepared but it will be a wonderful day. I just wish Steph, Ethan, Carol, Dad and Andrew could be here with us. We miss you all already.... Love Grant
I'd like to say the flight was great but that would be a lie. 16 hours on a plane is a long, long time. We both felt like we had been hit by trucks about 10 hours in. More specifically, I felt like someone had rammed a puffer fish up my nose and then scared him into full puff mode. Thankfully, as soon as we landed our heads began to feel a bit more normal.
We saw a beautiful sunrise as we landed that seemed a harbinger of both better things to come and incredibly dense pollution. A haze hangs over the city so thick and persistent you begin to wonder if everything around you could breakfree of the earth and float gently across the Pacific.
Our bags arrived safely and we breezed through customs. The US Asian Affairs (USAA) China team was waiting for us with a bus. We began to believe everything we had heard about how great the China team is as they efficiently rounded us up and guided us aboard. On the bus Norman (the head of USAA) regaled us with info about the week ahead and about past groups. He also told us that only 7 families from 117 made this trip b/c many were missing key paperwork. The rest wont get to go until May. Thank goodness Steph is organized...
The Baiyun hotel has been a nice surprise. Our room is small but nice and we are all together on the newly remodeled 19th floor. After showering and changing we all met at 10:30 for Dim Sum. The resataurant was great but quite honestly the best places in LA are as good if not better!
The rest of the day was spent shopping while half asleep and snacking. We are supposed to try and stay awake until 9 or 10 to adjust to our new schedules. The BIG news of the day is that we will get Naomi TOMORROW!!!!
We can't believe it and still don't feel totally prepared but it will be a wonderful day. I just wish Steph, Ethan, Carol, Dad and Andrew could be here with us. We miss you all already.... Love Grant
Friday, March 7, 2008
Setting up the Big Top
So, today I leave for China with my mom, Shelby. We should meet the newest addition to the Hosfords by Tuesday. Her name is Naomi June and she will be about 18 months old when we get back. We are scheduled to fly back on March 21. More soon from China....
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